REVIEW: ‘Amazing Spider-Man,’ Issue #51

The Amazing Spider-Man #51 is written by Nick Spencer, illustrated by Patrick Gleason, colored by Edgar Delgado, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It is published by Marvel Comics. The “Last Remains” storyline continues as Spidey and Doctor Strange struggle to save the Order of the Web from Kindred’s thrall. Out of options, the web-slinger has no choice but to confront his hellish nemesis.

I mentioned in my previous review of The Amazing Spider-Man #50 that Kindred was using his knowledge of Peter Parker’s life to torment the web-slinger and he continues to do so, using Silk as a mouthpiece to sew discord. Kindred is a truly horrifying villain-he doesn’t need to physically fight Spidey to win, he just needs to get in his head. All the same, I hope that Spidey cleans his clock.

Spencer continues to be the perfect choice to write Spider-Man. Spidey tells Doctor Strange it’s his responsibility to save his friends, which is perfectly in line with the wall-crawler’s mission statement. “I have to do something. These people are my friends. Some of them put that spider on because of me. A couple of them are kids,” he says and I felt my heart welling up. The reason Peter Parker is my favorite fictional character is that he will fight to do the right thing, no matter the odds. He cares about his friends and that is what ultimately gives him the advantage.

Spencer also brings Doctor Strange into the fray, which is awesome. Strange has long been Spidey’s go-to when dealing with mystical threats and Spencer nails the dynamic between Spidey and Strange as well as Strange’s speech patterns and mystical nature. Strange’s presence also brings in references to J. Michael Straczynski’s run on the title and hints at reversing one of the most controversial Spider-Man storylines. It made me smile and so did an appearance from another one of Spidey’s friends.

Gleason continues to impress with his artwork, fully leaning into the horror aspect of “Last Remains.” Most of that horror lies in Silk’s possession. A slit is open in her trademark red mask, revealing a row of jagged circular teeth. She even transforms into a massive red monster that looks like it hopped out of a horror movie. Another sequence features Spidey falling into the ground, being dragged away from Mary Jane. Gleason draws the panels featuring Spidey smaller and smaller as if he’s actually being buried alive.

Rounding out the artistic team is Delgado on colors, and he gets to use all kinds of shades. In Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, there is a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors that fits the psychedelic vibe of Strange’s world. In Spidey’s dream, the colors are dark and slowly fade to black, adding to the horror vibe.

The Amazing Spider-Man #51 continues to ramp up the “Last Remains” story arc, cementing Nick Spencer and Patrick Gleason as a top-tier Spidey team. The next issue will see Spidey and Kindred finally face-off, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

The Amazing Spider-Man #51 is available wherever comics are sold.